A postgraduate course in Childhood and Youth and Education.

E805 explores theories, policy developments and practices relating to equity, diversity and inclusion. It is relevant for practitioners working with learners of all ages in a range of settings and situations. The course supports the development of a critical understanding of the factors contributing to social and educational exclusion. It explores the development of approaches and pedagogies for inclusive learning environments, which take account of diversity. The course will encourage you to think critically about the impact on the personal, social and educational opportunities, expectations and aspirations of learners in the twenty-first century and on your practice in supporting learning.

Register for the course

This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees and financial support may vary by country.

What you will study

The key aim of the course is to support practitioners in developing a critical understanding of the factors contributing to social, educational exclusion and challenging behaviour. It explores approaches to creating inclusive learning environments, which take account of diversity and have the potential to transform the learning experience for socially disadvantaged groups. This will include learners who speak other languages, experience difficulties in learning, have disabilities which affect their learning or exhibit behaviours which are perceived as impeding their learning. Through case studies, readings and audio and video resources you will explore the relationships between teacher, learner and societal expectations, attitudinal factors, and approaches and contexts, which have supported effective participation and learning. This course will support practitioners in developing their understanding of the diversity, complexity and changing nature of learning to support transformations in learning and inclusive learning environments.

In order to develop these concepts, issues and the ‘lived experience’ of practice, the course will be divided into four main areas of content:

• investigating educational issues in relation to practice
• contemporary examples of innovative, critical, transformative practice and pedagogy
• conceptualising and taking a stance on issues and practice to transform learning and foster inclusion
• educational issues for twenty-first century practice: policy and practice in changing national and international contexts.

Online study and activities are an integral part of the course, closely linked to the assignments, enabling you to learn interactively, working with other students and your tutor. The audio-visual material is designed to extend your understanding of practice beyond your own personal setting, to help you draw on alternative contexts and perspectives to reflect on and develop your own practice. All of the resources will draw on the perspectives of practitioners, academics, researchers and a range of educational stakeholders, in the UK and elsewhere, to explore current issues, policies and debates in related to equity, diversity and supporting inclusion.

The assignments will enable you to understand and engage in practitioner research to apply what you learn to your own professional context. You will also be expected to demonstrate a critical, reflective understanding of this research evidence to critique curriculum, policy and pedagogical issues. The end-of-module assignment is a small scale practitioner based research project that will both develop your understandings of equity and diversity issues in relation to your own practice and develop pedagogies and approaches to support inclusive practices and transform learning environments.

Vocational relevance

In studying E805 you will be encouraged to develop an understanding and knowledge of specific examples of critical and transformative pedagogical approaches. You will apply this knowledge and understanding to your own professional context through engagement in practice-based research to develop specific plans and approaches for the learners you are working with.

Entry

This course is primarily for professionals with some experience of working with individuals or groups of learners in a range of settings and circumstances. Access to learners or other colleagues working with learners is essential to undertake the assignments for this course.

This course can be studied on its own or as a module of the Masters degree in Education (F01) where it can count towards the equality and diversity specialism.

 You must hold a bachelors degree from a UK university or other recognised degree-awarding body, or a qualification at equivalent level.

The course is taught in English. Your spoken and written English must be of an adequate standard for postgraduate study. If English is not your first language, we recommend that you will need a minimum score of 7 under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Please see their website for details.

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.

Outside the UK

This course has been designed with a global audience in mind. Since it is tutored online, you can study this course no matter where you are in the world except for residents of South Africa, who may be restricted to studying through the Open University (OU) affiliate in their country.

Qualifications

E805 is an optional module in our:

• Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Studies in Education (C27)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Studies in Education (D52)
• Masters degree in Education (F01)
• MA in Childhood and Youth (F55)
• MA in Online and Distance Education (F10)

E805 is one of the modules you can select if you want to name your degree MA in Education (Equality and Diversity) or Master of Education (Equality and Diversity).

Some postgraduate qualifications allow study to be chosen from other subject areas. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this module can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.

Excluded combinations

Sometimes you will not be able to count a module towards a qualification if you have already taken another module with similar content. To check any excluded combinations relating to this module, visit our excluded combination finder or check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service before registering.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.

If you have a disability

In this course you are expected to use a wide range of resources. Most of the study materials will be delivered as web pages, pdf files and web-based tools. Many tutorial and student-led discussions and activities will be carried out in text-based discussion forums online. To complement this interaction, some discussions and collaborative activities will take place as live events in our audio-conferencing environment, which combines voice, text and images.

We have tried to avoid using inaccessible resources, but some material that is core for the course may not be easily accessible if you use assistive technology. Some students may find the amount of reading from different sources challenging. In most cases there will be sufficient alternative activities and materials to enable you to complete assignments successfully. Where this is not the case, you will be given individual support by your tutor in collaboration with other University staff. Support for access to Library resources is available from the Library Helpdesk.

Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader. Alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.

Study materials

What's included

A dedicated website with online only study material and activities, audio/video material and access to a range of electronic tools, including real time conferencing and online forums. You will be expected to search for other materials relevant to your assignments, and the course will provide you with help and guidance for your literature searching.

You will also be provided with access to Masters degree in Education qualification website, where additional guidance materials will be found.

Computing requirements

You will need a computer with internet access to study this course as it includes online activities, which you can access using a web browser.

• If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer since 2007 you should have no problems completing the online activities.
• If you’ve got a netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device check our Technical requirements section.
• If you use an Apple Mac you will need OS X 10.6 or later.

You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

Your tutor will be responsible for assessing your assignments and providing detailed feedback on them. The course will be taught by means of real time online tutorials and online forums.

Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

Assessment

The assessment details can be found in the facts box above.

You must use the online eTMA system to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) and the end-of-module assessment.

Future availability

The details given here are for the course that starts in October 2013. We expect it to be available once a year.

How to register

To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button.

Distance learning

The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor or study adviser will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.

For more information about distance learning at the OU read Study explained.

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